Jennifer: It's supposed to be safer than parachuting because the guy is less of a target. I would think incredibly cool equipment like this would entice some guys to enlist. And as Jeff says, I assume extreme sports types will want this sort of thing just for fun.

I wonder what the purpose of the delta-wing is - at those low speeds, the delta-wing is probably not as aerodynamically efficent as a straight wing. Also, I seriously wonder if the centre of lift is anywhere close to the centre of gravity.

My guess is, of course, that they shaped the wing that way to look cool.

I wonder how practical these will be for special forces - they'll have to fly for 30 minutes, using up their mental/physical stamina, even before landing. Force recovery will be more difficult as well, since they probably don't want to leave the wings behind at the scene. Still, there must be some military use for them. Perhaps the psychological shock value of bat-winged infidels noiselessly gliding in overhead?

1. Military parachuting is nearly a obsolete skill in the classic sense. Yes, we have a whole division (82nd) that stands ready to jump into combat, but a quick look at this table shows that well mostly thats for show.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/airborne-jumps.htm

2. Why? First rule of modern combat. If you can be seen you can be hit and if you can be hit, you will be killed. Cause the big slow planes are big slow targets and 1000 folks floating down on chutes are small slow targets. IF there is opposition and if there isn't then why jump?

3. Generally, insertion by helicopter is a much better solution. It's easier to do a helo insertion at night. Helo's fly "nap of the earth" meaning below hills and power lines, weaving and dodging down valleys. a Helo insertion assures you that even at night, everybody gets to the same spot at the same time, ready to fight. You don't get that with a mass drop. Oh, and did I say the helo can get you out again?

4. Do the wings have a purpose? I suppose so, if used for covert insertion of a small team deep into enemy ground, and if recovery was not an issue.

5. Are they sexy? sure. will they find a place in the special ops tool kit? sure. Are they boy toys for big boys? sure.

Joe - The article said the wearer would deploy their chute before landing, so it should be no different than a standard jump. I don't know what happens to the wings. Maybe they click back in like Buzz Lightyear's? :)

A squadron of these Darth Vaders gliding (or rocketing) into the desert would be an awesome sight. Even if they're never used in combat, they'd be a cool (if dangerous) addition to an airshow. Batman comes to mind also, but Wile E. Coyote is probably closer to reality.

The advantage of this over conventional parachute operations in the distance away from the target you can leave the airplane at.

Think about it - you can put a small team (like the ram air chutes in use by SF HALO teams, these will not be used in mass jumps) into a nasty area from over 100 miles away - perhaps from an aircraft mimicing a perfectly innocent airliner in a widely used airway.